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Nonsurgical Procedures: With timely skilled interventions, a number of our patients can either postpone or avoid the need for a more invasive procedure including surgery. These can include:

Fracture Care – Bone Setting: precise realigning of a fracture with appropriate stabilization applied (splint, brace, cast).

Viscosupplementation: injection of a "lubricant" into a joint to ease the pain and improve the mobility associated with moderate to severe degenerative and chronic arthritis to improve the quality of life for patients awaiting or seeking to postpone surgery including joint replacement

Epidural Steroid Injections: a key component to non-surgical pain management and critical to successful long-term management of chronic back pain, these injections can offer immediate relief for severe pain for one week up to one year. These injections are not typically utilized as a permanent solution and are most often used in conjunction with physical therapy.

Corticosteroid Injections: corticosteroid injections can provide significant pain relief for several orthopedic conditions, such as arthritis, bursitis and tendinitis. They are safe and effective with minimal side-effects when administered appropriately. In arthritis conditions, corticosteroid injections can provide months of relief. Corticosteroid injections are also used to help decrease pain enough to allow for physical therapy. In certain forms of tendinitis, corticosteroid injections can be curative. Corticosteroid injections are also used to diagnose carpal tunnel syndrome and is often used to predict whether or not carpal tunnel surgery will be successful.

Xiaflex Injections:  XIAFLEX is the only FDA-approved nonsurgical treatment for adults with Dupuytren's disease with contracture (stiffness).

Needle Aponeurotomy: needle aponeurotomy is a minimally invasive treatment for Dupuytren's contracture. In contrast to surgical treatment, which may require several months of recovery, needle aponeurotomy allows a more rapid recovery. In most cases, it is possible to return to near normal activities without bandages within a few days of treatment.

Orthopedic Spine Surgeon Vs Neurosurgeon
What's the Difference Between an Orthopedic Spine Surgeon and a Neurosurgeon?

WHICH ONE IS MORE QUALIFIED TO PERFORM SPINE SURGERY?
Orthopedic spine surgeons and neurosurgeons are equally qualified to perform most types of spine surgery. Both perform cervical, thoracic, and lumbar surgery, including spinal cord and nerve decompression, spinal fusion, microsurgery and minimally-invasive spine surgery.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE IN TRAINING?
Both types of surgeons complete four years of medical school before entering a residency in their specific field. Traditionally, orthopedic surgeons complete five years of residency training in the diagnosis and treatment of all musculoskeletal (bone, joint, muscle and nerve) disorders including those of the spine, whereas neurosurgeons complete residency training in disorders of the brain and spine. Many spine surgeons will complete additional training in spine surgery after their residency called a fellowship. A fellowship involves more specialized training in advanced spinal surgery techniques including spinal fusion, minimally invasive spine surgery, and complex spinal reconstruction.

ARE SOME TYPES OF SURGERY MORE COMMONLY PERFORMED BY ONE OR THE OTHER?
In some specific instances, either a neurosurgeon or an orthopedic spine surgeon may be the more appropriate choice. For example, an orthopedic spine surgeon may be more capable of doing spine deformity surgery (such as surgery for scoliosis and other large spinal deformities), whereas a neurosurgeon can better treat intradural tumors, i.e. tumors that are inside the central nervous system.

HOW SHOULD I CHOOSE A SPINE SURGEON?
For the most part, the qualifications of the surgeon to do spine surgery are more driven by the amount of training in spine surgery and the amount of the surgeon's practice devoted to spine surgery rather than by whether or not the surgeon is a neurosurgeon or orthopedic surgeon.

QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT YOUR SPINE SURGEON:
Is the spine surgeon fellowship trained in spine surgery?
Is the spine surgeon trained in microsurgery and other minimally invasive techniques?
Is spine surgery a big part of the surgeon's practice, or is he or she more of a general orthopaedic surgeon or neurosurgeon?

A physician who focuses on spinal surgery is likely to be far more adept and current in newer surgical techniques than one who only occasionally performs spine surgery. My practice is 100% spine surgery.

I am very biased, and I am not ashamed to say it. If you operate on the spine, you need to have done a spine fellowship. A fellowship is a period of training that focuses on just one type of surgery. I have completed an ACGME accredited spine fellowship.

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American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons